


Even If It Kills Me

by TyBorb



Category: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Genre: Angst, Gen, Graphic Description, Hurt/No Comfort, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29766471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyBorb/pseuds/TyBorb
Summary: All that she's done, all the pain she put them through, the spirit won't give up on her.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Even If It Kills Me

White-hot eyes bore down on the spirit as the furious, half-petrified owl stood towering over them. Seir had been taken before Ori could reach out to her and the Light Core was severely wounded by Shriek and was somewhere amongst the ridges, her light was nowhere to be seen. Ori was left to face Shriek on their own, but they couldn’t bring themself to raise their weapon.

Shriek has harmed many, has taken lives and had left their sister lying on her deathbed. They thought her to be an emotionless beast based on her appearance and behavior, but upon learning of her origin from the sleeping guardian, Ori was conflicted on how they should feel. Shriek was all alone, had no one to turn to, and all fled upon seeing her. She was sad, then she became angry and soon grew cold-hearted. She left devastation and death in her wake, struck terror into the fiercest beasts with a single shriek and her presence alone can make the boldest of creatures cower in fear. An aura of hatred manifests as the choking black smoke that emanates off of her wings when she soars, a shadow blacker than the night is cast on the ground that sends chills down the spines of those she flies over. Shriek is the embodiment of loneliness, anger, and darkness, with the stone on her body acting as a barrier to prevent even the strongest of attacks from shattering.

All except one certain force. Light.

Seir had broken the mask of stone on Shriek’s face and turned the horns on her head to dust, leaving sharp stubs and exposing her face beneath. Despite the hard exterior that hid what she was beneath, she was still an owl. At that moment, she had shown weakness, she showed fear when Seir charged up another attack. Ori saw at that time that Shriek was not all cold-hearted. If she were the monster everyone saw her as she would’ve retaliated, but she cowered like an owlet in a storm, begging for mercy from the freezing rain and furious winds that scared her. Ori stopped Seir before she could attack again, ignoring the protests from the Golden Light. Seir had a reason to attack, Shriek was about to crush them and the Light was simply protecting them, but Seir didn’t see how the owl had tried to scramble away, nor did she hear her cry out. Seir had been vulnerable for years, she had no way to defend herself, but with her powers restored, she could face the corruption now. Shriek was the one she lashed out at, and her retaliation revealed that Niwen’s beast is simply a young soul that was fueled by anger, loneliness, and the power she has over those that could not match her strength.

Much to both Shriek’s and Seir’s surprise, Ori tried to approach the owl with open arms, saying they’ve learned of her past and felt sad that she had nobody to give her the warmth and comfort she needed. Ori still had an internal conflict inside them. Their adoptive sister was nearly killed, Shriek had caused extreme damage to both the environments and everyone around her. She prolonged the presence of Decay by attacking anyone that tried to cease it. Her intentions were to make everyone suffer because they turned away from her.  
But Ori felt there’s still a spark of hope for her. If they could get past the veil of darkness and anger, they could save her.

Their attempt failed when she screeched at them, leaving them on the ground with a splitting headache as she took to the sky and fled.

Now they stand facing each other at the top of the Ridge, Shriek looking to prevent the Light’s touch from returning to Niwen and to continue the pain and torment that she believes should last forever for everyone here. She wants to kill Ori and destroy the Light permanently. The spirit wants to restore peace, but they don’t want to fight Shriek. It took a lot of courage to not manifest the Spirit Edge in their hand, but the owl didn’t wait for them to produce it.

She attempts to crush the spirit with her stone-turned wings, but Ori kept evading them. Shriek swipes at them and misses. She roars in frustration, the piercing sound stunning the spirit momentarily and it gives her the opportunity to land a hit, smacking them with her talons and sending them sliding across the ice-cold stone. This is too easy. But the spirit stood up. She huffed and walked up to them, and the spirit didn’t flinch. They just held their arm and looked up at her with a pained look. It wasn’t the look of agony that she’s used to seeing. It was a look of empathy. What’s with the pathetic expression? Does this pest think she can give in to that and they can both hug it out?! She raised a petrified wing and angled it directly above the spirit, growling deeply.

“Shriek…” Ori whimpered.

The owl paused a moment. She had to put her wing back down so she wouldn’t fall over, but she slammed it hard into the stone beside the spirit, which caused them to stumble to the side but they still stood. Shriek lowers herself so her feet her on the ground and she leaned in close to the spirit so that her beak was inches away from them.

“Do you… Have your last words to speak, _spirit?_ ” Her voice was deep and guttural, like the growl of an angry beast with the hiss of a furious snake as she spat out the word “spirit”, the tendrils on her wings writhing and twisting. The aura emanating from the spirit wasn’t as strong as her aura of darkness, but it felt like it was trying to push through that veil of black like it was trying to reach past the veil. She snorted and Ori stepped back, the light retreating with them.

“I just want to talk with you--”

“Then _talk!_ Don’t delay your demise,” Shriek barked.

“...I know you’ve done many bad things. You’ve scarred people, you’ve killed them. You hurt my sister,” Ori flinched when Shriek quietly growled. They know she was getting impatient, but they have to get through the barrier she has. “But I also know that you wanted to be loved.” 

The owl’s eyes narrowed. “ _Love_. Something I did want, yes. I tried, again and again, to seek it, only to be feared. Not one soul had even considered trying to give me the warmth I sought, not the Moki, not the Gorlek, not even that _toad._ ” Shriek pushed Ori back with her beak, spitting at them with the last word. She leans over them so her large head was all that the spirit saw. “All of that is in the past, I am beyond love. I am beyond help.”

“No, no you’re not!” Ori couldn’t push themself up. The energy from Shriek weighed down on them, the owl’s breath reeked of death and rot and they wanted to simply stop breathing so they can’t smell it. “I-- I saw your reaction at the edge of the wastes. If you were beyond help, you wouldn’t have begged for Seir to not attack you!”

“That glorified firefly nearly knocked me unconscious, you pest! If I wasn’t awake, if I was lying there on the ground and unable to move, vulnerable, would you still have stopped it?”

“Yes!” 

“ _Lies!!_ ” Shriek roared. “You lie! You would have left me to _die!_ ” 

“No! Please,” Ori begged. Their ears were ringing, the angry energy was choking them, and they couldn't move. “I can give you a chance! If no one else will, then I will!”

Silence hangs over the ridge, only the howling wind is heard. Then a forced chuckle comes from Shriek.

“A chance? When it is far too late for anyone to give me what I wanted?”

“It’s not too late, Shriek,” Ori said. “I can help if you give me a chance.” They push themself up with their arms and backed away slowly to get out from beneath her. “I can give you what you want, I can give you warmth and love. I can teach you to love others.”

Shriek scoffed. “Can you? All your effort will be meaningless if nobody else returns the feeling.”

“Then I can tell them what I’m doing, and I can tell them to give you a chance!”

“I’ve killed their families, their friends, I’ve destroyed their homes and terrorized them for years. How can anyone possibly forgive someone that caused them pain and fear?”

“They don’t have to forgive you, they just need to quit seeing you as a monster,” Ori said. They were far enough from her that they could stand up and winced from the stinging pain in their arm and side. “I just want to try to end your pain.”

Shriek huffed. “Persistent, are you?” She moved away and stood tall again. “Your pathetic attempts will not work.” The owl approaches the spirit. “You cannot save me from the darkness I’ve fallen into. I will drag you all down with me as long as I’m still breathing.”

Ori tried not to back up, but their body instinctively moved away from the approaching owl until they were standing on the edge of the ridge.

“So if you want to stop that, then raise your weapon and strike me down.”

Their hand twitched. They so badly wanted to summon the Spirit Edge so they have something to defend themself with. Doing that will encourage Shriek to push them further to attack her, and they don’t want to. Ori instead stands straight and looks at her with their chest out, undaunting. “I will not.”

“Very well, then.” Shriek hissed and glares down at the spirit. “You’ve chosen your fate. You will join your sister and the rest of the pathetic souls that chose to challenge me.” She raises a petrified wing and screeches. “Now, _die!_ ” She brought the heavy, stone limb down onto the ridge with an ear-splitting slam, the stone cracking beneath. Shriek breathed heavily as she stared at where the spirit was and moved her wing back, only to find a small crater in the ground where the tip of the limb was. She squawked in surprise. Where did the spirit go? Their body should be where they were standing. She looked for where Ori is, and a white speck manifested out of the corner of her eye and it drew her gaze to where it was. She huffed. That damned pest moved out of the way.

“Impressive.” She said. “I’ve got agile prey to deal with now.” Shriek lowered her feet to the ground again and the petrified feathers dissipate into a black mist and reshape into proper flying feathers. “I’ll have much fun with this.” She launches herself into the sky and screeches. “If this is the game you wish to play, then I’ll play along. We’ll see how long it takes until you mess up.”

“I’m not done talking yet!” Ori yelled out. “We can figure this out!” 

“Enough with this! There is no hope for me, quit being so persistent!” The owl dove towards Ori, shrieking as she charged at high speed.

“I’ll keep trying,” Ori curled themself into a ball, gathering energy before kicking their feet down, launching themself out of Shriek’s way. “Even if it kills me!”

Daring little nuisance. The owl angles her wings to slow herself down, the air making a shrill screeching noise as it went past her feathers before she rose into the sky again. She circles above as she stares them down. “You are wasting your breath and Niwen’s time. You’re letting your sister slowly die!”

Ori froze. Ku is still lying in Kwolok’s hollow, slowly dying. They breathe in loudly. They want Shriek to understand they want to help her, but Ku will be lost if nothing is done soon.

“Do you value your sister’s life, or do you want to keep delaying in saving her and let Niwen rot away?”

Their hand clenching into a fist, Ori breathes out. Light swirls in their unclenched hand until it manifests into a bladed weapon. “I do value her life. I want to save her, but I want to save you, too.” They breathe in shakily and look up at the circling owl. “I’ll fight until I get you to accept my offer!”

Shriek’s eyes crinkle as she smirked. “Finally, we fight at last.” She thrusts her wings downward and spun as she rose higher, then let herself freely fall. The ground drew closer as she fell faster and faster, the wind screeching in the cavities of the shattered stone mask that still clung to her. With seconds to spare, she spread her wings open and caught the wind beneath her feathers, and let the momentum carry her to the ridge Ori stood on, screeching loudly.

Ori let out a battle cry as they dashed forward, raising the Spirit Edge above them. They swung their blade and felt themself be violently pulled when the blade struck Shriek. They tumbled and rolled to a stop, their arm resting in an uncomfortable angle. They gasped and wheezed in pain as they sat up, clutching their arm, and cried out as they went to set it back in place. With a pop, their arm was back in its socket and they tried their best to heal the sore muscles before Shriek would turn around and strike again. Good enough. 

Ori stood back up and watched as Shriek’s silhouette circled behind the Willow. Close range skills won’t be of much help, not if she keeps charging at them. They can’t risk striking so close to her anymore. Their best option now is to dodge and use skills that don’t require them to hold it. Sentry, Light Burst… Spike might be the best one to use. They don’t want to use powerful skills, but they may have to. The owl approaches fast again and their light concentrates into a speak-like shape. They need to end this fast before anyone else dies at the hands of the Decay.

The spirit dashes to the side as Shriek glides past at the same speed she hit them at and they throw the spear at her, hitting her back and making her stagger in the air. It didn’t do any damage from what they could see, but it certainly surprised her. 

The half-petrified owl made a sharp turn and was approaching the ridge again, but at a slower speed. She turned her body and opened her beak and spat out something that looked like white orbs surrounded in black mist, like giant, black raindrops. Ori bashes off of the orbs and manifests another spear, then launches it at Shriek, catching her on her tail feathers. That made her madder.

Spike was strong, but it was draining their energy fast. They charged up another attack and threw it. Shriek had been struck in the wing and it forced her to land. This gave Ori the opportunity to try talking again. 

“I’m still going to keep trying, Shriek,” Ori said in between breaths. “I’m not giving up on you.”

Shriek gives Ori a cold stare from the corner of her eye, her right wing burning where the powerful spear hit. She breathed in, and she turned her head to them. “You really are ... Aren’t you?”

Ori nodded. “I’ve got more than Ku as my family. I have Naru, who could try to mend your broken soul. Then there’s Gumo, who could bring a smile to your face and make you laugh.”

The owl narrows her eyes.

“If Niwen won’t welcome you here, then I believe you’ll find a new, happier life elsewhere.”

“ _Where?_ ” Shriek barked. “Things like me are not welcome anywhere.”

“There is somewhere that will welcome you! If Niwen is your preferred place to be, then _I_ welcome you.” Ori presses a hand over their chest.

Shriek scoffed. “ _You?_ ”

“I… I’m all Niwen has now. The Willow’s time has come, and I’m to embrace the Light and become the new Spirit Tree. This will be my land, and I will let you stay. I will heal you.”

The owl’s eyes open more. This tiny spirit will become something greater than her, something that has the power to end her, but they say they will let…? Shriek shook her head and growled. “No, no you will not. You will hurt me.”

“I won’t, promise.” Ori stepped forward with a hand out.

“You _will!_ You will turn against me and strike when I least expect it!” Shriek swipes at Ori with her wing and barely skimmed over the top of their head with her feathers. “Like how I was turned against when I sought warmth, how my heart was hurt when I heard the words, “By the Light, what _is_ that thing”. You will not help me, you will betray me.”

“Why would I turn away from you after learning about your past?? I _want_ to mend your wounds, I _want_ to keep you safe! I _want_ to give you the warmth you sought!” Ori stopped for a moment to breathe. “I’ll keep persisting even after I become a Tree, until you finally accept my offer and embrace my light!”

Shriek was about to say something, but the words got caught in the back of her throat. She looks away, not wanting Ori to see weakness again.

They were getting there, she’s not fighting back. They can’t be forceful, they need to calmly approach again. “If you can’t come to accept my kindness now, I can give you time.”

“Shut up.” Shriek murmured.

“I can’t force you to say yes. But all I want is for you to be happy.”

“Shut. Up.” The owl growled.

“My offer for granting you warmth and comfort will be open until you’re ready. I’ll let you sleep beneath my branches if it makes you happy--”

“I said, _shut UP!!_ ” Shriek shouted and took to the sky once again. Roots beneath the ridge began to writhe as Shriek circled around the Willow once more and dove past the cliff face and the roots reacted to her swooping by, pushing against the rock and shattering it into large chunks.

Ori was thrown from the force of the roots knocking the broken ridge around. A booming, shattering noise drowned out the ridges breaking. Their attention was drawn to the Spirit Willow and watched in shock as the great Tree started to fall, then they slipped as the ground they stood on crumbled beneath them. The whole thing was about to collapse! They hastily launched themself off of the side and darted across the falling cliffs and over chasms, evading boulders that have been catapulted by the furious roots, all while avoiding Shriek. 

She was hot on their tail, swiping and biting at them, destroying the ground they were on, and chucking pieces of tree and rocks at them. Each time she flew past them, it was like the black aura around her grew and scratched at them, because they were pretty sure that they dodged as many rocks, trees, and talons as possible.

The chase led them to a cliff that has been untouched by the raining stone and Shriek zoomed by before doubling back, tucking her wings in, and flew past at blinding speeds, narrowly missing the spirit by inches. She spat orbs of Decay at them, tried crushing them, even attempted sneaking up on them and calling down a shower of corruption-filled rain that she thought would’ve been impossible to dodge, but she kept missing. She was growing tired and she could see Ori was, too. She tried another tactic, one that she never thought she’d use until now.

“Why,”

She closed her beak tight suddenly.

“Won’t,” 

She gagged and coughed.

“You…”

Her chest and throat burned as something built up.

“ _DIE?!_ ”

Her throat convulsed, her beak opening and closing like she was about to throw up, then unhinged her jaw. A beam of concentrated corruption fired from her mouth, just meters from where Ori was. The spirit scrambled to get out of the way but the beam moved too quickly for them to get away and it went over their legs.

They cried out. It was both freezing and burning. The beam lingered on top of them, burning more and more until it dissipated and Shriek struggled to stay in the air. She landed heavily on the cliff and collapsed, breathing heavily. An unknown liquid combined with saliva spilled and steam rose from her mouth. The owl coughed and heaved, but nothing came out except the saliva that was already falling out. Ori was trembling from the pain, their legs burned severely and their tail was nearly burnt away. They turned onto their side and looked to Shriek as they gasped for air.

Shriek’s eyes locked with Ori’s. The pain in their eyes, the tears and saliva falling from their face, the agonized expression. She choked, whether on bile or the sight is causing her pain, she doesn’t know, but she shakily got to her feet and her wings hung limply at her sides. She slowly dragged herself towards the spirit.

Ori pushed themself up and reached to their legs, their light manifesting as green energy in the palm of their hand that cast pulsing light over the wounds. They yelped when the light touched the burns and soothed them, closing up gaps that were left from blisters popping and cleansing off any infection. They bite their lip as they use whatever remaining energy they had to heal the burns before they stopped, saving the last of what they have left before sitting up, and they froze. Shriek was standing right before them, the space between them is as long as two Spirit Edges. Her eyes were filled with confusion and pain, the dark energy that surrounded her was gone. The air was still.

Silence hung over the ridge with only the flashes of lightning and swirling clouds of corruption surrounding them. After a few tense beats of quietness, Ori goes to say something, but Shriek speaks first.

“After all that… After the agony, I just put you through. Are you still willing to give me a chance?”

Ori nods. “Yes.”

Shriek pulled herself away and stood tall. “Why.”

Ori clenched their jaw shut.

“Why do you still persist…? I’ve put you through more pain than anyone else has.” She tosses herself forward, holding herself up with her wings. “I’ve nearly killed your sister!! I’ve burned you!! I almost shattered the Light and destroyed the tree that gave this land life! How can you still be willing to accept me?!”

The spirit sniffled and breathed out shakily. “B-because…”

“Because _WHY?!_ ”

“I… I just want everyone to be okay. I want you to be okay.”

“I am… not okay. I’m not.” Shriek shakes her head and backs up. “I’m not fine. I never will be.” Another shake of her head. “Never… Never. Not ever.” She then screeches, launching herself into the sky once again, rising higher and higher until Ori was only a speck, then she lets herself fall, the feathers on her wings dissipating into a black mist and solidified as stone. Shriek raises the petrified wings above her head and shrieks before slamming the stone limbs onto the ground, causing it to crack and a crackling boom echoed across the valley.

She breathed heavily as she stared blankly at the spirit lying between the stone wings in a stunned state and her face inches above them. Quietness fell over once again for an extended period of time until Ori reached up, barely brushing their fingers against the stiff feathers on Shriek’s face before she bit down on their arm, hearing something break. She pushed away and leaped off of the cliff, her wings turning into feathers again and the cliff behind her crumbled as she flew southeast, with Ori using the feather to glide to safety, letting go every so often to ease up on the pain in their broken hand.

Shriek cried out as she entered her territory, the freezing air welcoming her back. She lands beside the bodies of her parents and falls to her knees, exhausted from the battle on the ridge. She pulls herself to the tallest body and turns so her back is against the wing and tucks her wings close to shield herself from the cold. She looks to the looming clouds above as they block out the rising sun, the chill of the rain soon to return. She then looks to the empty gazes of her parents and inhales deeply, then breathes out as she closes her eyes, leaning against the ribcage of the tallest owl and awaiting for sleep to take over.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for anyone waiting for A Second Chance to be updated, I haven't been in the mood to work on it for a while. .-. Here's this until I can work on it again.
> 
> \---Mini rant---  
> So, Shriek's death. A message that not everyone can be saved? I guess that depends on who you're talking about like they have a condition that cannot be cured or they were in a very bad spot and cannot get out fast enough, but Shriek? She deserved better. She grew up alone and feared, with nobody to turn to for comfort, and she grew up to loathe the world that left her on her own. Ori was the first person that actually tried to approach her but after that, there were no more attempts in trying to redeem her.  
> Just because it's the official story doesn't mean it's right. A lot of stories, in movies, books, games, shows, have flaws, some of them are small and not that big of a deal, and others are apparent and make people wonder just what the writers were thinking when making the story. I'm not saying that Moon is evil for making Shriek's story end on a dark note, but I do wish they had thought of something where Ori kept trying, or that Shriek still lives and chooses to hide away until she decides to try to embrace the warmth she sought. She deserves another chance.  
> \---Rant over---
> 
> I don't know if I'll make another chapter for this or if I'll leave it as is and let you guys interpret Shriek's choice, but if you do want a second chapter, lemme know and I'll get to work on it.  
> Also, if there's anything here that needs correcting, please tell me!


End file.
